Calling for greater cooperation between India and the US in defence trade, a visiting US official on Wednesday said Washington aims at moving to co-development and co-production of defence equipment where both the nations could develop and benefit.

Addressing a conference here on ‘US-India Defence Relations and Areas for Cooperation, including Defence Trade’, Punit Talwar, assistant secretary, US Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, said that modernising of export licensing system could be the best way to improve bilateral defence trade and one way of doing it is through the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) which would reduce bureaucratic roadblocks and expedite technology sharing and research.

“Since the signing of India-US Bilateral Framework in 2005, our defence relationship has become the central pillar of our strategic partnership”, Talwar said. “Both President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have welcomed the decision to renew the framework and have agreed to integrate the ‘political and military dialogue’ that will be convened tomorrow,” he said.

“The DTTI, through its emphasis on co- production and co-development, complements PM Modi’s ‘Make in India Initiative,” Talwar, who is here with a US defence delegation, said.

Strong bilateral defence ties would also underpin global trade and commerce, benefiting the international community at large, creating more employment opportunities, he said.

Both the countries will hold extensive discussion on a range of issues including certain co-production and co-development projects, technology transfer, renewing the 2005 defence framework pact and regional security at the Political-Military Dialogue here on Thursday.